Everyday Heroes’ Can’t Not Do

As we shared in an earlier blog post, Paul Shoemaker’s book, Can’t Not Do, really inspired us. His catchphrase perfectly described what drives us, and some of our colleagues who are changing the world we live in. Here are their “Its not that I can do this, its that I can’t not do”.

“I can’t not do the risky, the daring and the seemingly impossible…with things our society often deem as “part of the problem”. How else can you convince everyday people that what they think is impossible, can actually happen, and that they can have a hand in making it happen?”

“I know I can’t not TRY to find a way to try to speak about, to teach about, to help with increasing our understanding about — the need for equity in education and society in general. I don’t always know the answer but I know that not speaking, not trying — will certainly not help. And I know that inequality in America is systemic and hurts all of us. When one of us suffers we all suffer in one way or another – we might just not realize it. So I have to TRY, I have to do something that opens the way toward helping increase equity somehow.”

Arlene J Ford
Education Consultant

“I can’t not do my part to find a cure for Rett Syndrome. Every day that goes by is another one suffered by 350,000 girls and women, including my baby daughter Sadie. I reject the urge to give excuses like “I’m too busy” or “I’ve never done anything like this before” and I don’t let myself get discouraged by failure because success will trump anything else I do in my entire life. I can’t not try.”

“Woven into the spirit of my being is a need to make this world better than I found it. When I am long gone, my biggest hope is that I have made someone’s life a little bit better by my actions. I hope to model for my children that we must, as HUMANS, act as HUMANITARIANS. I can’t not work to achieve this goal daily.”

“I find ways to make an impact on insurance reform and educating clinicians. Being a working, single mom coupled with the innate can’t not do it attitude has forced me to innovate ways to keep pushing the mission forward.”

“I can’t not work to address the issues of homelessness and poverty in Los Angeles, one of the richest cities in the world. I can’t not help men and women that are ready, willing and able to reenter the workforce, regardless of their personal backgrounds or barriers to employment. I can’t not be inspired by the courageous men and women that come through the doors of Chrysalis each day as they work to get back on the path to self-sufficiency by finding meaningful employment.”

Our dynamic team has over 300 years of combined experience in both the non-profit and business sectors. The Starfish Impact approach creates a flexible team of experts that best suits the funding goals, operational targets, financial needs, and culture of the organization. Read more